Snow banana tree
Ensete glaucum

Family: Musaceae

What it is like

A wild banana. It is a large herb. It grows 5-7 m high. The base of the stem is thickened like a bottle. The leaves have long stalks. The leaves are oblong with a rounded base. They are 2.5-3 m long and 60-70 cm wide. They are light green. The flowering shoot is at the top and hangs down. It can be 2 m long. The fruit is an oblong berry. It is 8-12 cm long by 3-4 cm wide. They are yellowish with black seed. There are 15-25 seeds. They are large, black and shiny. They are 1 cm across.

There are 6 Ensete species.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. In Indonesia it grows on islands between 5 and 100 m above sea level. In Nepal it grows between 150-1,800 m above sea level. In Yunnan.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, China, Fiji, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Northeastern India, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, Pacific, Philippines, SE Asia, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Thailand

How it is used for food

The fruit are eaten ripe. They have a sweet flavour. They are also cooked. The terminal male bud is eaten with rice. The false stem is eaten as a vegetable.

It is sold in local markets.

Edible parts

Spadix, fruit, terminal bud

How it is grown

Plants can be grown from seeds.

Its other names

Local names

A pa duo gei, Ban kera, Di bo, Jangali kera, Kluai huato, Kudum, Nat-nget-pyaw, Pisang alas, Pisang ensete salju, Pisang pidak, Rayuthi, Shew-kyin-nhget-pyaw, Tjau hudjung

Synonyms

Ensete agharkarii (Chakravorti) Hore, B. D. Sharma & G. Pandey; Ensete calospermum (F. Muell.) Cheesman; Ensete giganteum (Kuntze) Nakai; Musa agharkarii Chakravorti; Musa calosperma F. Muell. [Invalid]; Musa gigantea Kuntze; Musa glauca Roxb.; Musa nepalensis Wall.; Musa troglodytarum var. dolioformis Blanco;